Note: I don't own the lyrics in this chapter, also, the backstories mentioned her are referenced in my fanfic 'United by Fate'

Also as a warning, some racist slur is spoken in this chapter, and as I said before, if you're experiencing such hate, please reach out for help and support.

Chapter Thirty

Stories of Our Past

As the evening wore on and after dinner had been eaten and everyone was relaxing with drinks, Aurora began to ask the others about their backgrounds before they had been mutated.

"I hadn't had the best life before I mutated." Samson said, "I lost my parents when I was young, both to horrific ways one can imagine."

"How?" Aurora asked.

Samson sighed.

"I lost my mother to some racist murderers," he said, "Then my father was shot and killed by armed robbers who broke into the shop."

"Oh, how awful." Aurora said in a shocked voice, yet as she did, the word 'armed robber' struck another chord in her head and she blinked, feeling lost yet she pushed it aside as she continued to listen to Samson's tale.

"I remember I was in the shop helping my dad with cashier and counting the takings from the day, he was teaching me the ways of the shop." Samson explained "I was doing the sums whilst dad was sorting the bills and coins...

Flashback

Young Milo leaned on the counter doing sums as his father counted the bills.

"Man, I never realised the end of the shift was the hardest," Milo commented "I find it hard enough to get through basic maths at school."

"Well maybe this might help you along a bit?" his father said, "It's gets easier the more you do it, as when you're older you'll need to learn how to run the shop, that is if you still want to do it?"

Milo nodded.

"I still want to do it dad, well right now I do anyway, you never know if things might change one day."

His father nodded and looked to a photo of his late wife on the counter and sighed.

"I never imagined life would change for us three years ago." He said, "Getting that news from the police was the hardest thing ever."

Milo bit his lip.

Even though it had been three years, the death of his mother never left him, and he still missed her greatly.

He never understood why she was taken away so suddenly and by racist thugs who simply attacked and killed her because she was an African American.

Even though the men had been caught and were serving life for their crimes, it didn't change the fact his mother was gone, and she was never coming back.

As he finished the last sum, Milo picked it up and his father closed the cash register, yet as he did, there was a banging on the glass door, and they looked up to see three men knocking on the door demanding to be let in even though the door was locked, and the closed sign was up.

"We're closed." Milo's father said "Sorry!"

But the men continued demanding to be let in.

"Come on man! We're desperate!" the first man said.

Milo frowned.

"And wonder what the big emergency is?" he asked, his father also looked at him.

"Milo." He said, "Go back to the storeroom at the back, I'm not so sure about these men."

Milo was a little alarmed but judging the look on his father's face, it was one he shouldn't argue with, and he went into the back storeroom.

As he did, he watched his father walk over to the door and keep denying then men access saying the store was closed but the men were having none of it and kept banging on the door.

"Milo!" he heard his father's voice "Call the cops!"

Milo took his mobile phone out and was about to dial 911 when suddenly there was a loud bang and then a shattering of glass as the door window was broken and the men broke into the shop.

Milo was so alarmed he dropped his phone then saw the men stride in and shove his father back into a display of stacked cans!

"Dad!" he yelped yet he jumped back as the three men pulled out weapons.

Two had knives and the first one had a gun which he pointed at Milo's father.

"Get up blackie!" he snapped "Get off your arse!"

Milo's father quickly scrambled to his feet and the first man pushed him to the counter.

"The cash! Now!" he barked.

Milo's father glared.

"No!" he said which made Milo's blood run cold as he watched, he wanted to go and help his dad, but he wasn't sure how he could, he was only twelve years old, and he didn't know how to fight, and these men were twice his size and armed.

He had dropped his phone, and it was a distance from him in the shop and he was scared of distracting the robbers to his position.

The first robber glared.

"Hand over the cash Nigger!" he shouted, "Do it!"

Milo's father again glared.

"The police are on the way!" he said, "So either you run or risk getting caught!"

The first robber growled as he kept the gun up.

"Fine!" he said then Milo screamed as he fired the gun, and he watched his father fall backwards behind the counter.

"Get the money!" the first thug shouted at his comrades who were in shock, but they quickly grabbed the cash and fled the scene.

No sooner did they flee the scene than Milo ran over to the counter, picking up his phone as he did and saw his father laying in a pool of blood.

"Dad!" he shouted and dropped next to him before seeing where the bullet had got him.

He had been shot in the chest and Milo, despite not having medical experience saw that he could have easily had a lung punctured or some other vital organs hit.

"Dad! Hold on! I'll call for help! You'll be okay!"

"Milo..." his father choked.

"I'm so sorry dad," Milo wept "I should have done something."

He then felt his father's hands on his arm.

"No..." he said, "I'm sorry son." He coughed as he was feeling his life leave him and he clasped Milo's arm.

"I love you son..." he struggled before he sunk back to the floor, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he went limp.

"Dad?" Milo cried "Dad?"

He grabbed his father's shoulders and shook him, yet his father didn't respond "No! Oh no please! No! I lost mum! Now I've lost you too?" he lowered his head to his father's chest and cried.

"Dad! No Dad! Dad! No!"

End Flashback

As Samson finished his story, he saw Lilith and Chastity were in tears, even though they knew his story it still never failed to make them cry.

Aurora wiped a few tears from her eyes as well.

Diablo also sighed.

"You didn't deserve any of that Samson." He said, "After all you went through."

Samson nodded.

"The robbers were caught though, like the ones who killed my mum, but like I said before, it didn't bring dad back, in a way I can take comfort in the knowledge that he and mum are together again, and watching over me, which in a way, I think they were when you saved me and Rex." He smiled at Diablo.

Diablo smiled back.

"I'm glad you're grateful." He spoke.

"I am yes." Rex said, "After all I went through, apart from Samson, then Milo, I felt I had no-one to help me, I felt forgotten."

Aurora looked at the Doberman.

"What's your past?" she asked.

Rex glowered.

"Someone that America should have been proud of and grateful!" Rex said before reaching into a small bag he carried on his belt and Aurora's jaw dropped as she saw the medals.

"You're a soldier?" she asked.

Rex nodded.

"Served in the American Army both for Iraq and Syria." Rex said "Many years I served my country, until I paid the price..."

Flashback

Marcus crouched in the trench as the sounds of bombs and guns went off around him, he looked at his team, some were injured and bleeding and he knew he had to get them to safety, yet he wasn't sure how and the enemy weren't far away.

In all his years as a soldier, he knew how dangerous things got, but he was willing to see them through, both to reach his goals as well as protect his comrades, no matter how helpless the situation.

"Marcus!" one of the soldiers said as she cradled one injured one in her lap "He's bleeding out! We need to get back to base!"

"I know!" Marcus said, "But we risk all our lives if we try to move!"

"Incoming!" someone shouted, and Marcus soon saw a small black object land in the trench!

"Grenade!"

Marcus glared as he saw it and his first thought was to jump on it and cover it with his body, but he still risked his teammates getting hurt more if he did, even if it cost him his life.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed the grenade with his right hand.

"Marcus no!" he heard one of his soldiers shout, but he ignored them.

'For the team!" he thought "For the USA! For the world!" he then threw the grenade out of the trench, yet as he did, the grenade exploded, and Marcus felt himself get thrown back as well as feel a searing pain in his right hand and arm then he fell on his back knocking his head.

"Marcus!" he heard a few muffled shouts around him as he blacked out...

Marcus wasn't sure how long he had been out, but he opened his eyes to see a couple of doctors standing above him.

"Hey! He's coming to!"

"Marcus! Thank goodness! We thought you were lost to us!"

Marcus blinked as his vision cleared and he looked around to find himself in a medical bay at his station.

"What the...where am I?" he asked.

"Marcus Flint." One of the doctors said, "How do you feel?"

Marcus looked at the doctor then at himself.

"What happened to me?" he asked.

"Marcus." The doctor said, "You're very lucky to be alive I must say, you performed such a brave deed to save your colleagues, but you suffered severe injuries."

Marcus narrowed his eyes and started to move his body, both lifting his legs and wiggling his toes, and he did the same with his arms and fingers.
"What injuries?" he asked.

"Marcus." The doctor said, "I'm sorry to say, but when you threw that grenade, and it exploded "I'm afraid it took off your right arm."

Marcus's heart pounded and he looked to his right arm and attempted to wiggle his fingers.

"No," he said, "I can feel my fingers!" he claimed.

The doctor sighed.

"Those are phantom pains." He said, "Patients feel them a lot after losing a limb."

"Losing a limb?" Marcus thought and looked to his right arm, and he then saw the white bandages and where his arm ended just above the elbow.

"No..." he thought "It can't be..."

End Flashback

"...When I saw my right arm had been blown off, I knew my military career was over." Rex said, "I couldn't fight, couldn't serve, and I was discharged."

Samson placed a hand on Rex's shoulder.

"I had to return to the USA, a one-armed ex-soldier, even though I knew it would happen, I never imagined it would happen to me, and I came home a broken man, and I hoped I would be rewarded for my services, but it wasn't to be."

He then spoke of how despite the benefits he got, he was still unable to find any work as an amputee and he had lost his home and became homeless, but how he had met Samson, then Milo who took pity on him.

"I served my country." Rex growled "Yet I got nothing back! I lost faith, apart from when I met Milo, then eventually Diablo, and now I feel I can serve my country, by doing what the police cannot do because of the laws and red tape, but as a mutant, we are not affected by them!"

Diablo nodded with a smirk.

"Too true." He said, "You punished those red-necks who killed you and Milo, and they're serving their time after we dropped them off with the police."

"I know." Rex said, "Those bastards claimed to love their country, yet they mocked me, ungrateful creatures, and they deserve what they got!"

"That they did!" Samson said "How can anyone claim to love their country yet mock those who served it, fought for it..."

"Some people are just cruel and stupid!" Lamia hissed.

Aurora after hearing Rex's story, looked down sadly as she thought of all Rex had been through, and how he had served his country and how he should have been properly supported because of his injuries.

"How could they?" she asked "After all you did, and you became a forgotten hero..."

As she said that, Chastity hummed then started to sing softly.

"Have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman's mission?
Memory fading with
The medal ribbons that he wears
In our winter city
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care."

"That lyric from the famous song speaks the truth, Angel." Samson said to which Chastity nodded still with tears in her eyes hearing Rex's story, even though she knew it so well.

"It's true." Diablo said, "The world, or those on it, don't care the sacrifices one has made or what some have done to make it better, many are just out for themselves, and want to live it their way, for the wrong reasons, and we are here, the Disciples to punish those who commit sin and do wrong!"

"Too right!" Samson agreed.

"Yes." Regan snarled "No evil deed goes unpunished,"

"They reap what they sow!" Chastity said.

"What goes around comes around!" Seth said.

"Karma!" Ravage said.

"Too true!" Lamia added.

"I wish I had been able to make those in the past pay, but sadly no." Diablo said, "But we can only attack those who are here now, and there are so many out there."

"And we're ready to do so boss!" Ravage said.

Aurora meanwhile looked at Rex and Samson then looked at the others and took a breath ready to ask them about their lives before they became who they were.

And we've seen some more backstories from the Disciples, and we'll see more in the next chapter.

I'm sure some of you might have recognised the lyrics in the chapter, they come from the song by Ralph McTell 'The Streets of London' such an emotional song.